Discrete
by hjea
Summary: A collection of unrelated drabbles based on the characters of Jack and Kate and of their relationship.
1. Introduction

So as a little introduction, I wrote these stories one at a time and have posted them accordingly, their dates of creation spanning from last May to a few hours ago. They are completely unrelated, I really mean it, and may be more fragments of bigger unwritten stories than actual cohesive short fics. Still, they all do come out of my love for the two characters, Kate and Jack, on the show Lost and I have tried to capture a bit of their complicated, yet intriguing relationship to the best of my ability.

This is posted just as much for my enjoyment as for yours. So, enjoy! (and review, let's not forget review… but only if you want – Please?)

- Lilyhead


	2. The First

A/N: This is the first Jack/Kate drabble I wrote and posted on my lj very soon after the season finale, Exodus. Like most of the others, it popped fully formed into my head and demanded that I write it down. This is a good way to test how well I did that.

**Timeline:** Nothing specific, use your imagination.

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, no infringement intended, etc., etc.

* * *

She hesitated and then reached up, slowly stretching her hand out to smooth away the worried crease between his eyebrows. He sighed, closed his eyes and felt the taut muscles in his face relax under the gentle pressure of her thumb. She sighed as well and moved her hand to rest against the stubble on his cheek.

"You can't worry about them all the time."

Her voice was low, barely above a whisper. He could feel her breath as she leaned in closer and he opened his eyes to take in her face. She smiled, the corners of her lips just turning up slightly while her eyes crinkled in concern.

He let out a breath, "Who else do they have?"

"They have each other." She reminded him gently, "No one here is helpless, they need you sometimes… but not always."

He looked away, but she drew his face around again and nodded at him, the stubbornness of hers that he knew so well now evident in her face. He met her eyes, "What about you, are you going to stop as well?"

"I…" She blushed a little and her eyes flickered downward for a moment before she looked back up at him.

"I could worry about you."

He blinked, surprised at the uncharacteristic reply and stared at her while she blushed even harder under his gaze. He paused, and then leaned in closer than he ever had before, until his forehead rested against hers.

He drew in a breath, "Alright."

"Alright."

He felt her fingers brush across his face before she lowered her hand to rest in her lap and then she swiftly turned her head and pressed her lips to his cheek, right against his jawbone. She stood up quickly, swinging her knapsack full of water bottles onto her back and then turned back to him.

She smiled. "I'll see you later."

He nodded and smiled back. "Yeah."

"Yeah, you will."

END.


	3. The Second

A/N: This is the second, most actual drabble-like of these stories that I've written, as it's only 111 words. Like the first, it popped into my head suddenly, most annoyingly, as I was in the middle of a test at the time.

**Timeline:** Sometime in the undetermined future. Or two futures. Whatever.

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters.

* * *

When Kate woke up…

She was in the caves, the early morning sun, green and dappled, streaming in through the entrance. She was curled up tightly against him, with her nose pressed right up against the hollow of his neck and her fingers gripping the worn collar of his shirt. If she moved closer, his arms would reflexively tighten around her, trapping her to him, keeping them safe for those few short peaceful moments the morning lent them. Inhaling the scent of him, she opened her eyes…

Kate looked over at the clock and sighed. She stretched out her legs between the cool, empty sheets and waited for him to return.

END.


	4. The Third

A/N: I wrote this during one of my weekend breaks between camp sessions, after I had been horribly sick for three days. Upon getting home, my parents spent about 5 minutes in my presence and then decided that I had pneumonia. I didn't, it was only bronchitis, but this was born out of it.

**Timeline:** A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Sometime after The Greater Good would be more accurate though.

**Rating:** K+. Being sick is icky.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, all J.J.'s and Damon's and all them other guys.

* * *

He was hunched over beside the tree coughing his lungs out and she frowned to see him like that once again. Walking over to where he was, she put a hand out to touch his back gently, letting him know she was there, and then offered him her bottle of water. He took it from her gratefully, taking a big gulp and swilling the water around in his mouth before he handed it back to her.

She frowned again, "If you're not careful, you're going to end up with pneumonia."

He shook his head, "I don't have pneumonia, at worst it's bronchitis."

She arched an eyebrow, "At worst? C'mon Jack you know better than this, you've got to start taking better care of yourself."

He straightened up, "So you keep telling me."

"Yeah, and if you'd listened to me you wouldn't have ended up with this stupid cough." She glared at him with all her might, feeling foolishly like an angry parent with a petulant child.

He looked at her and the expression in his face changed, from annoyance, at her pestering no doubt, to something more unreadable.

"Maybe you're right."

She blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?"

He smirked, "I said, maybe you're right. Maybe I should just take it easy for the next hour or so, get some rest." He looked at her confused face, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm just… shocked that you're agreeing with me, for once."

He smiled, genuinely this time and she joined in, cautiously at first and then let the grin spread across her mouth.

"Don't worry," he reassured, "I won't make it a regular thing."

"Yeah, no kidding" she added before her expression changed to concern once more as he started coughing yet again.

"C'mon," She ducked under his arm and draped it over her shoulders, "I'm taking you to bed."

"Alright," he let her take some of his weight, "Just, don't drug my food again."

Kate felt a mischievous smile work its way onto her face, and she raised her eyebrows in thought.

"I won't make any promises."

END.


	5. The Fourth

A/N: This is a gross stereotype as anyone and everyone has written a post-Exodus, Jack/Kate, beach encounter. And now I have too, enjoy!

**Timeline:** After Exodus part 2. Actually being specific here for once.

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** Mine all mine! Wait no… I lied. Characters and everything else belongs to J.J. and all the fine folks at abc. They're pretty cool.

* * *

She walked, pulled more by exhaustion than anything else, until she made her way to the shore and without a moment's hesitation collapsed, tugging her shoes off so she could soak them in the waves. She let the motion of the waves tug at her for a minute and then leaned back, letting her body thump against the sand and closing her eyes to the stars above.

It wasn't long before she heard him approach and settle onto the sand beside her. She opened protesting eyes and turned her head towards him, noticing the utter fatigue surrounding him, tiredness seeping out of every pore. It was a look she could only imagine he saw mirrored in her self.

He drew in a deep breath. "Beach is deserted." He commented, not wasting too much energy on words.

She nodded, affirming it. "Everyone gone to the caves, just like you wanted."

He looked down, away from her gaze. "I didn't want this."

She struggled to prop her self up on her elbows and then reached out her hand to cover his, waiting until he turned back to look at her. "I know."

He turned his hand to grasp hers; squeezing her fingers gently in a silent thank you and she relaxed, once again feeling the steady tug of the water against her feet. After a moment she spoke again.

"I'm still mad at you you know."

He grunted noncommittally.

"About the explosives," she continued, "You shouldn't have lied to me."

His expression hardened, the vein in his jaw suddenly becoming apparent. "I made a decision, one that I would do again. I don't regret anything."

This time she looked away and considered arguing the point, considered giving into her own hurt feelings, but she didn't. "I'll stand by my promise, I've got your back."

He nodded. "Good. I've got yours."

He shifted, slipping his hand out of hers and prepared to leave. He stopped suddenly, seeming to have remembered something and turned to her, catching her eyes.

"Kate… about Locke and the hatch, don't do anything I wouldn't do. Promise me." There was a slight note of panic in his voice, of fear, and she returned his look solemnly, slowly nodding her head yes. "I promise."

He took another deep breath, smiling slightly and reached out a hand to tentatively tuck a loose curl behind her ear. "Thank you."

He turned and walked away, moving to stretch out beside the old signal fire that was burning low. She followed his movement for a minute and then turned her attention back to the water in front of her.

"Jack," she whispered to her self, "What wouldn't you do?"

END.


	6. The Watcher

A/N: All right, so not exactly a Jack and Kate story like the others, but it does involve them so I'm counting it. This comes from the perspective of another one of the islanders and I'll give you three guesses for who, but you'll only need the one.

**Timeline:** Takes place after Born to Run, could be before the raft launch, could be after; doesn't really matter.

**Rating:** T. Only precautionary as it's really minor. I don't even know if I would pick up on it.

**Disclaimer: **They're ALL mine. Everything. In fact, _I'm_ J.J. I am the island, coo-coo ca choo… No I'm not.

* * *

Amid the few belongings not claimed and distributed among the island, she finds a straight razor and brings it to him, laughing that she has a solution to his facial hair problem. He grins uncertainly and admits that he's never used one. She blushes slightly, looks away and offers to do it for him.

He watches them. Watches him sit on the beach, chin held up to the sky, with her standing behind him, gently moving the razor across his skin. He watches and wonders how he would feel, letting the only known criminal on the island hold a blade to his throat.

He imagines how it would feel, knowing that she would never offer, would turn away in disgust if he asked, imagines the feel of her fingers splayed across his cheek, the smell of forest and salt water on them, steadying the other hand that holds the razor. He imagines the proximity of her, feeling her body pressed close behind, and imagines letting his hand drop and bump against her thigh in exactly the right place, so that the muscles would jump beneath her pant's leg.

He imagines feeling the scrape across his jugular.

As he watches, she finishes and rinses the razor in a basin of water before folding it carefully and handing it to him. He takes it and pockets it, thanking her for a job well done, and lets his hand linger over hers for just a second too long. She smiles and lets it reach her eyes, lets her hand to drift up to touch his smooth cheek, where there's not a nick in sight.

He knows, were it him under her blade, that at that crucial point where life sits so close to the skin, he would have lifted his chin and let her cut in, let her draw blood.

But only a little.

END.


	7. The Sixth

A/N: Just can't get enough of these can I?

**Timeline:** Nothing

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

* * *

"Are you singing?" 

He looked up. "Humming, I was humming. And you weren't supposed to be listening."

Her mouth twitched upwards into a grin and she folded her arms over her chest, amusement clearly written across her body.

"You're good."

"At humming?"

"At carrying a tune." She hummed a few bars herself, "Fly Me to the Moon, right? You must be happy about something."

He stood up and adjusted the straps on his backpack. "Maybe I am."

He smiled and began to walk towards the cave entrance, gently brushing his arm against hers as he passed. She watched him leave and then, biting her lip as her thoughts drifted, she began humming too.


	8. The Runner

A/N: In this one, I've moved from my traditional fluffy to angst. Yay diverse me!

**Timeline:** None

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** Ce n'est pas a moi

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" 

"I..." Her voice cracked and she turned her head away for a minute before she could look him back in the eye.

"I, I have to." Another tear spilled down her cheek and this time she didn't bother to brush it away.

"Why?"

What was breaking her heart was that he wasn't even angry, not now. Now he was just confused and hurt and... disappointed.

"I can't be what you want me to be Jack, I just can't. The way you look at me, the way you're looking at me now, that's not me."

"Kate,"

He stretched out his hand, moving to reach her. Before he could, she turned on her heel and, stifling down a sob, started to run.


	9. The Eighth

A/N: Pretty obvious but this is a post-Man of Science, Man of Faith reaction. Told from Jack's point of view, it is very much of the J/K. Enjoy!

**Timeline**: As I said, Man of Science, Man of Faith. If you haven't seen it, 1. Do and 2. Why the heck haven't you, it was the frekkin' season 2 premiere! Go borrow it if you must, about 9 thousand people have taped it, go find! (Whew, too many crazy flakes lately)

**Rating**: K

**Disclaimers**: Yep, you guessed it same-old, same-old – I do not own Lost. Bugger.

* * *

When she left to go to the hatch, Jack gave her half an hour. 

By the time ten minutes had passed, he had already grabbed the gun and his bag, ready to go in to the woods after her.

He couldn't explain the urgency that suddenly came upon him, couldn't explain the sudden need to make sure she was okay, because somehow he _knew_ that she wasn't, knew that something had gone wrong. Wondering exactly how he knew was a little too close to Locke's so-called faith, so instead he didn't wonder, didn't pause to think, he just did.

Kate. It all came down to her.

He didn't want it to, didn't want this… this whatever they had together and certainly didn't need it. And yet – he trusted her; though he knew he shouldn't, protected her; though she didn't want it, worried about her, cared for her and… well, in all honesty, he had no idea how he felt about her. Things were never quite black and white when she was around. Instead, shades of grey pervaded. But he did know that, no matter how unclear his feelings were, he could not let anything happen to her.

He didn't _want_ this. Didn't want this impulse over-riding his every instinct of rationality, his cool detached doctor persona. But he had watched that persona slowly crumble away each day he spent on the island and now… it felt like that impulse was all he had left.

A ripple of fear passed through Jack and that feeling of dread, the knowledge that something had happened to her, intensified and urged him again to go.

Hurley was standing behind him, watching with mounting confusion as Jack continued to throw a few essentials into his backpack.

"What about all that stuff you said about waiting 'til morning and watching the sun rise!"

Kate. He was going to save her.

"I changed my mind."

END.


	10. The Truth

A/N: Felt like writing something light, so here it is.

**Timeline: **Nothing specific really. Fit it in wherever you most desire.

**Rating: **K

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, no profit, blah, blah, blah.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" 

She looked up, smiled, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Kate – if that is your real name – what's it short for?"

His tone was light, teasing, but she sensed that underneath he was being serious. That he wanted the truth.

"Yeah it's my real name." She rolled her eyes. "It's short for Katherine."

His grin widened.

"But don't think you can start calling me that."

He looked down, continuing to smile as he shook his head.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it."

"Well, what about you?"

He looked back up. "Hmm?"

"Jack - is it short for anything?" A look of mock worry came upon her face. "Your name's not Jackson is it?"

He chuckled, long and low in his throat. "No, it's just Jack."

She caught his eye, smiled widely while he returned the favour.

"Why am I not surprised?"

END


	11. The Tenth

A/N: Thought I'd get this up before the new episode airs later tonight (yay!). Just a short missing scene that popped into my head. Another outsider's perspective.

**Timeline**: During the episode, Everybody Hates Hugo, after the famous 'shower scene'.

**Rating**: K

**Disclaimer**: They're not mine, no matter how much I wish it.

* * *

When Jack returned, he was smiling. Barely noticeably, but there was some amusement reflected in his eyes and he nodded amiably when he hunched down beside me among the pipes. 

"So, did you find the source of the noise?" I asked.

Jack nodded, his mouth twitching upwards into a more recognizable smile. "Yeah, it was Kate."

"Kate?" It explained the smile.

"Yeah, she uh, she found a shower."

My eyebrows rose. "And you found her _in_ the shower?"

If the light were not so dim, I would have sworn that he blushed.

"Well, she had a towel, Sayid. She's just doing her job." He pointed the flashlight through the maze of piping and concrete, in a direction we had not traveled yet. "Just like we should be doing ours."

As he began crawling away, the smile still lingering on his face, I shook my head and smiled myself. If nothing else, it would make for an amusing story around the campfire tonight.

END.


	12. The Aftermath

A/N: This one's been stewing in my head for a while, what with the events of the episode 'What Kate Did', but with the end of term and the start of exams, I haven't had tons of time to get it down. But finally, here it is.

**Timeline:** Takes place after What Kate Did. Surprise.

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** There's a grain of sand on the beach that I claim as mine. Everything else isn't.

* * *

"I'm not perfect, you know." 

Kate turned around and looked at him in confusion. "What?"

Jack raised his head and squinted into the sun before he turned his eyes back to the net he was trying to untangle. "Last week when you, um, when you were yelling at me in the woods,"

Kate bit her lip and looked down at her feet, ankle deep in the water.

"You said you were sorry you weren't as perfect as me. But I'm not perfect, Kate."

She looked up at him and saw that he was staring at her intently.

"I just, I don't want you thinking that I'm someone I'm not, that I'm this selfless hero." He snorted, "I've got issues."

Kate smiled slightly and reached over to wrap her fingers around his wrist, squeezing gently.

"Jack, you know last week I…"

"No, I know." Jack smiled reassuringly, "but I just wanted to be clear."

Kate looked at him, blinked and drew her hand away.

"I wouldn't worry." She squinted as well as the light bounced off the water and glared into her eyes. "I'm not going around with a deluded idea of who you are. Believe me, I've spent enough time around you." She smiled wickedly and he snorted once more and shook his head.

"I don't think there's anyone on this island who _doesn't_ have issues - maybe Aaron," she conceded, "But you… you help people and you try and you fight and I think," Kate looked away, "I think that's what I meant."

When she looked back up at him again, he was staring at her once more. Very slowly, he reached his hand over and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Kate bit her lip and felt her heart thump.

"How does Jin make this look so easy?"

Jack was looking out at the water, his hand plucking at the net once more.

"It seems all he has to do is wade out here and the fish swim straight to him."

Kate nodded and looked down at her own net. "At this rate, we're going to be out here all day." She smiled.

Jack sighed. "Oh well."

END.


	13. The Twelfth, The End

A/N: The time has come ("the walrus said") to bring this collection of my Jack-and-Kate-inclined brain meanderings to a close. Sad, as I've had a really enjoyable time thinking up and writing them, but happy as well, as it seems that _LOST_ itself is giving finally giving us some future for the couple (whether for good or for ill). I can't wait to see what's in store – should be a fun time.

**Timeline: **The future. Could quite possibly be AU.  
**Rating:** K  
**Disclaimer:** In my imagination, Jack and Kate are mine and they get to do all the fun stuff that I think up. Legally though, they're still J.J.'s. Maybe it's better that way.

* * *

Jack found her on deck, right where he expected her to be, the wind whipping her hair around her face as she watched the island slowly disappear into the distance.

He walked unsteadily towards her as the boat rolled under his feet, still too used to the shifting of sand on the beach or the solid stone and earth feel of the cave. He rested his elbows against the railing when he reached her side and drew a long, deep breath before he looked over at her again.

"Hey."

She turned to glance at him and smiled quickly in greeting, but turned away too soon to stare back over the rail.

Jack traced a heavy finger across the railing's surface and let his arm brush against hers gently.

"I talked to the captain. He's decided that they're not going to take you into custody, not until we reach land anyway."

She let out a short breath through her nose, her mouth a hard line.

"They, uh, closed your case after you were presumed dead and opening it up again is going to take work. A lot of work. I don't think they're going to bother for now, you don't seem to present a danger to anybody, so..."

She only nodded curtly and continued to stare out over the water, her hands gripping the railing tightly.

"Kate..."

He didn't know what he was going to say. Didn't know how to tell her that it would all be fine, that they could get through it.

"You can't see it anymore."

Jack turned towards her, surprised to hear her voice again after what seemed to him like ages. "What?"

"The island." She pointed with her right hand, finger stretched out to the horizon. "You can't see it."

He squinted his eyes, but couldn't find anything in the choppy, grey waves and the dull sky.

"You're right."

For a second, he didn't know how to feel.

She sighed then; her whole body shuddering with the force of it and he let himself wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her in close until she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"So, Jack," she covered his hand with her own, her fingers cool against his, her eyes still unmoving, "Where to now?"

He leaned over to press a kiss into her hair and didn't answer.

THE END.  
(for real this time)


End file.
